Jeff Schudel's NFL power rankings: Watch out for the 49ers

By
Jeff Schudel, The Morning Journal & The News-Herald

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

The hottest team in the NFL is putting the heat on the team that owns the best record in the National Football Conference.
The 49ers closed out Candlestick Park on Monday night and won their fifth straight game by rallying to beat the Falcons, 34-24. The Niners (11-4) jumped to second in our weekly power rankings and are only one game behind the Seahawks in the NFC West. They can win the division title by beating the Cardinals in Arizona if the Rams win in Seattle on Sunday.
The Seahawks slipped from first to third in the rankings after being upset by Arizona at home. The Cardinals, one of the surprise teams in the league, jumped from 14th to 11th with their 10-5 record.
First place in the rankings once again belongs to Peyton Manning and the Broncos. The Broncos are 12-3, and though they have secured a first-round bye, they have not clinched home-field advantage because the pesky Patriots, fifth in the rankings, are 11-4.
The Broncos are a good bet to remain first when the final rankings come out next week because Denver coach John Fox wonít be able to rest Manning in the season finale at Oakland. If he did, he would risk losing a game that is far from meaningless, because a Denver loss and a New England victory would mean home-field advantage for the Patriots.
The Eagles climbed from eighth to sixth in the rankings by demolishing the Bears, 54-11, on Sunday night. The Bears lost ground in the rankings, from 10th to 16th, but not in the NFC North standings because all four teams in the division lost on Sunday. The Bears can win the division title if they beat the 19th-ranked Packers on Sunday.
The Saints, ranked eighth, are in a free fall after two straight losses. They are 10-5 and own a better record than 11 teams in the NFC, but they are destined for a wild-card spot unless the Falcons upset the Panthers on Sunday and the Saints hold serve at home against Tampa Bay.
In that case, the Saints and Panthers would be 11-5 but the Saints would win the division over the fourth-ranked Panthers with a better division record.
The Browns are dragging near the bottom of the rankings again. They are 29th for the second straight week ahead of only Oakland, Washington and Houston.
1. Denver Broncos (12-3, Last week 2): Peyton Manning better be able to play in cold weather, because that is all heíll see in the playoffs.
2. San Francisco 49ers (11-4, LW: 3): The 49ers turned out the lights on Candlestick Park on Monday night with their fifth straight victory.
3. Seattle Seahawks (12-3, LW: 1): The Seahawks canít dwell on their 17-10 loss to the surprising Cardinals for long.
4. Carolina Panthers (11-4, LW: 4): Hard to believe this team was 1-3 and Coach Ron Rivera was in danger of being fired.
5. New England Patriots (11-4, LW: 7): The Patriots, smarting from a loss to the Dolphins a week earlier, took out their anger on the Ravens.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (9-6, LW: 8): The Eagles are flying high as they prepare for their showdown with the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday night.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (10-5, LW: 9): The Bengals were stunned by the Steelers on Monday night and then made short work of the Vikings to clinch the AFC North.
8. New Orleans Saints (10-5, LW: 6): Unless something strange happens on the final weekend, the Saints will be a wild-card on the road.
9. Indianapolis Colts (10-5, LW: 12): The Colts could be the surprise team of the playoffs if they play as well defensively as they did against the Chiefs.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4, LW: 5): Chiefs coach Andy Reid is contemplating resting his starters in the season finale on Sunday.
11. Arizona Cardinals (10-5, LW: 14): Bruce Arians deserves some votes as NFL Coach of the Year for winning 10 games.
12. San Diego Chargers (8-7, LW: 17): The Chargers are 4-1 over the last five games and alive in the AFC wild-card race.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8, LW: 19): The Steelers need help to make the playoffs, but first they must help themselves by beating the Browns.
14. Miami Dolphins (8-7, LW: 13): The Dolphins were shut out, 19-0, by the Bills and now need help to advance to the playoffs.
15. Dallas Cowboys (8-7, LW: 18): Reports differ on whether Tony Romo will be able to play with a herniated disk against the Eagles.
16. Chicago Bears (8-7, LW: 10): The Bears were humiliated by the Eagles but can still win the NFC North by beating the Packers in Soldier Field.
17. Baltimore Ravens (8-7, LW: 11): The Ravens ran out of luck when they lost to the Patriots, but they arenít out of the playoff hunt yet.
18. New York Jets (7-8, LW: 20): Rex Ryan got his team to play hard vs. the Browns by telling them he was going to be fired. The message worked.
19. Green Bay Packers (7-7-1, LW: 15): The Packersí hopes of pulling out the NFC North title go through Chicago on Sunday.
20. St. Louis Rams (7-8, LW: 21): With two first-round draft picks in 2014, the Rams will continue to build a challenger in the NFC West.
21. Detroit Lions (7-8, LW: 16): Two weeks ago, the Lions were in first place. Now they are out of the hunt and Coach Jim Schwartz will be out of a job.
22. Buffalo Bills (6-9, LW: 26): The Bills had nothing to play for, but they showed pride with a 19-0 shutout and sacked Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill seven times.
23. Tennessee Titans (6-9, LW: 25): The Titans can finish one game better than last year if they beat the pitiful Texans.
24. New York Giants (6-9, LW: 27): The Giants went into Detroit as heavy underdogs and knocked the Lions out of playoff contention.
25. Atlanta Falcons (4-11, LW: 24): The Falcons canít wait for this season to be over. Mike Smithís job as coach is safe.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-11, LW: 23): The Buccaneers have stalled again with two straight losses. They finish the season in New Orleans.
27. Minnesota Vikings (4-10-1, LW: 22): One week after shocking the Eagles, the Vikings were woefully outplayed by the Bengals.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11, LW: 28): The race between the Browns and Jaguars for the higher draft pick will go down to the final week.
29. BROWNS (4-11, LW: 29): Losing nine of 10 games is not what owner Jimmy Haslam was expecting in his first full year as team owner.
30. Oakland Raiders (4-11, LW: 30): The Raiders have allowed 419 points, the Browns 386, thus the tiebreaker for being bad goes to Oakland.
31. Washington Redskins (3-12, LW: 31): There is reason to believe last season, not 2013, was the fluke year for the Redskins.
32. Houston Texans (2-13, LW: 32): Vendors in Houston should start clearing room for Teddy Bridgewater jerseys one day after the NFL season ends.